IDENTIFIERS ----------- id: 141236 accession number: CM.1142-2009 DATE AUDIT ---------- created: Saturday 6 August 2011 updated: Monday 25 March 2024 DESCRIPTIVE DATA ---------------- object type: British medals for polar exploration were first issued in 1857, though their issue was not confined to British explorers, and was also made to civilians. This design was first issued in 1904. The bar for 1910-1913 on this medal indicates that the recipient, whose name is not known, was one of the landing party in the fatal expedition of Captain Scott to the South Pole. Only four such medals were issued in bronze. Furthermore, the second bar was awarded to members of the Trans-Antarctic Expedition under Sir Ernest Shackleton. Sources suggest that only two of the men on that voyage held a bronze medal for a previous expedition, but which of them this medal belonged to, if it has not been tampered with or as has been suggested is only a proof issue, is unknown. Lester Watson purchased the medal from the London dealer Baldwin in 1927. title: Polar Medal NOTES ----- type: history note value: Gift of L. Hoyt Watson; ex Lester Watson Collection, bt Baldwin 1927 LICENSING --------- text license status: CC0 image license status: CC-BY-NC-SA OWNERSHIP --------- instutition: The Fitzwilliam Museum department: Coins and Medals collection: Lester Watson Collection creditline: Given by Lester Watson through Cambridge in America, 2009 STABLE URL ---------- url: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/141236 TECHNIQUES ---------- struck CATEGORIES ------ category: medal (military) DATING ------ creation date: 1913 - 1916 creation date earliest: 1913 creation date latest: 1916 CREATORS -------- maker: London maker: George V (1910-36) maker: United Kingdom maker: GEORGIUS V BRITT: OMN: REX ET IND IMP: DIMENSIONS ---------- dimension: Diameter units: mm value: 33.5 dimension: Weight units: g value: 33.45 CITATIONS -------- British Battles and Medals 1st edn British and other Campaign and Gallantry Medals From the Collection of Lester Watson (d. 1959) --- IMAGES surrogate: large format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0025_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 114 pixels surrogate: mid format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0025_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 114 pixels surrogate: original format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0025_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 114 pixels surrogate: preview format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0025_281_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 114 pixels surrogate: large format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0025_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 114 pixels surrogate: mid format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0025_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 114 pixels surrogate: original format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0025_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 114 pixels surrogate: preview format: jpeg location: https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/imagestore/cm/cm15/LW_0025_282_29.jpg height: 365 pixels width: 114 pixels